Switzerland, We Have a Problem

Archinect are hosting a competition in response to Switzerland’s bizarre banning the construction of minarets within the country. The competition—Switzerland, We Have a Problem—calls for proposals for a deployable minaret:

“To address this impasse between the rightful expression of the Muslim religion and the value of Switzerland’s overwhelmingly scenic environment we challenge you to design a solution that allows the best of both worlds. Can you design a minaret as event rather than object?”

Elsewhere, Sam Jacobs, draws a parallel to that country’s taste for minimalism in which the ideology of purity can not sustain such decorative elements:

“It’s interesting to see the language of architecture caught up in this ideological crossfire. This episode underlines how architectures language is part of wider culture. That what it represents and how it represents it is deeply significant.”